Add to ChromeBraveFree alternatives toBaskerville
Set in Ibarra Real Nova, its closest free match
The closest free alternative to Baskerville is Ibarra Real Nova, 77% alike by measurement, free from Google Fonts. EB Garamond and Fanwood Text come next.
The six closest.
- 01
The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog. Typography is what language looks like.
Ibarra Real Nova
77%Close matchGoogle Fonts · SIL Open Font License
- 7% taller x-height
- Sets 4% wider
- Same weight
- Less stroke contrast
- 02
The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog. Typography is what language looks like.
EB Garamond
73%Same spiritGoogle Fonts · SIL Open Font License
- Same x-height
- Sets 6% narrower
- Same weight
- Less stroke contrast
- 03
The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog. Typography is what language looks like.
Fanwood Text
72%Same spiritGoogle Fonts · SIL Open Font License
- 4% shorter x-height
- Sets 5% narrower
- Same weight
- Less stroke contrast
- 04
The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog. Typography is what language looks like.
Jacques Francois
71%Same spiritGoogle Fonts · SIL Open Font License
- 8% taller x-height
- Sets 13% wider
- A touch heavier
- Less stroke contrast
- 05
The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog. Typography is what language looks like.
Baskervville
70%Same spiritGoogle Fonts · SIL Open Font License
- 9% taller x-height
- Sets 9% wider
- Same weight
- Less stroke contrast
- 06
The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog. Typography is what language looks like.
Bentham
68%Same spiritGoogle Fonts · SIL Open Font License
- 4% shorter x-height
- Sets 3% wider
- A touch heavier
- Same stroke contrast
Measured, side by side.
Baskerville against Ibarra Real Nova, from the letters themselves. These numbers are why Ibarra Real Nova comes first, and what the CSS below corrects for.
Baskerville Ibarra Real Nova
Keep your line breaks.
Swap Baskerville for Ibarra Real Nova and nothing reflows. This sets Ibarra Real Nova at Baskerville’s x-height and line length, so headings, buttons and paragraphs break where they did.
font-family: "Ibarra Real Nova", serif;
font-size: 0.939em; /* down to Baskerville’s x-height */
letter-spacing: 0.012em; /* to Baskerville’s line length */About Baskerville
John Baskerville’s transitional serif from Birmingham. Its contrast is sharper and its letters rounder than the old styles before it, and it’s still a favourite for books.
Questions, answered.
What is the best free alternative to Baskerville?
Ibarra Real Nova. Measured letter by letter, it’s 77% alike: 7% taller x-height, sets 4% wider, same weight, less stroke contrast. EB Garamond, Fanwood Text, Jacques Francois, Baskervville and Bentham are also close.
Is there a free version of Baskerville?
No. Baskerville is a paid serif from Monotype. Every alternative on this page is free for commercial use, under the SIL Open Font License.
How were these alternatives chosen?
By measuring the letters, not by comparing names or tags. Baskerville was measured from a licensed copy: its proportions, the width of every letter and figure, its weight, its stroke contrast and the shapes of telling letters like a, g, R and Q. The same measurements were taken of 1,506 free fonts, and these came closest. Each match was then checked by eye.
Will Ibarra Real Nova change my layout?
Not if you use the CSS on this page. It sets Ibarra Real Nova 6.1% smaller with a touch more letter-spacing, so text written for Baskerville keeps its x-height and its line lengths, and lines break in the same places.
Spot Baskerville in the wild?
Point Fontsight at any text on any website. It names the font, and offers a free look-alike you can try on the page, line breaks intact.
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